we're a family (and nothing you do can change that)
by MedusaOfTheSpecies
Summary: The kitchen is burning, and yet, all Molly Weasley can think about is how she doesn't fit in with her family. Luckily, another red-headed Weasley rebel is around to remind her about what family really is.


**A/N** : Written for round one of the Childhood Tournament Competition on HPFC forum.

Molly Weasley scowled as she heard the stove let of a warning hiss. Her grandmother, still under the assumption that sharing a name made them the same person, had left her in charge of the kitchen while she went to scold Uncle Fred for his latest prank: a set of expanding bouncing balls that had destroyed the entire dining room.

Grandmother Molly has obviously forgotten that Molly lived in muggle London and had no idea how to operate a magical stove, let alone an entire kitchen worth of supplies, each with a mind of their own. It was standard for the rest of the Weasley's and it made Molly furious about the fact that even her own grandmother didn't care enough to remember.

Molly's mother was a muggleborn who had been very close to her supportive and open-minded muggle parents, who had always kept her anchored to her childhood of non-magical traditions. From the way her mother told the story, Molly gathered that Grandmother Weasley had been furious about her parent's decision to live in the muggle world instead of returning to the Wizarding world after their honeymoon.

Speaking of furious, that was exactly what Molly was right now. Lucy, the sweeter, younger and more easygoing of the two sisters, had abandoned her for James Potter, a spoiled brat and Fredrick Weasley, an adrenaline junkie with no shame.

Molly couldn't stand most of her cousins: Rose was snobby and prissy, Albus was too easily distracted, Hugo was fond of rambling, and Roxanne was obnoxious and far too loud. The only cousins she could stand were Lilly Luna Potter, who had decided to stand over at her Aunt Andromeda's house, and the three Delacour-Weasleys siblings, who had yet to arrive.

Deciding that letting the food burn would be more satisfying then messing it up with a botched attempt at cooking, Molly leaned back against the counter and closed her eyes, enjoying the rare but coveted silence.

Suddenly, the kitchen door was slammed open and a person barged in, swearing the entire time. Molly's eyes flew open and she left out a sigh of relief when she realized that the person entering was just her Aunt Ginny.

With a quick nod towards Molly, Aunt Ginny walked straight over to the cookies baking in the oven, hissing profanities under her breath the whole time. Levitating the cookies with her wand, Ginny set the tray of freshly-baked cookies on the counter Molly was leaning against, hopping up to sit on it.

Ginny grabbed a cookie and bit into it, moaning in bliss as her teeth sank into the treat. Only after she had polished off half the tray did she speak, "Planning on hiding in the kitchen the entire time? Not that I would blame you for it, but that seems like a bit of a drastic action."

Molly shrugged her concern off, "Did my father send you to find me? Because he really should have known better then to let you into the kitchen unsupervised."

It would be typical of her father to do something like that. He was constantly scared of letting her and Lucy out of his sight, afraid of losing them or something like that. Molly had never asked.

Ginny laughed, her layers of red waves bouncing as she shifted into a more comfortable position. "No, your father had nothing to do with it this time. It was my mother-your grandmother, she got into another one of those screaming matches with Fleur and your mother."

Molly winced, imagining the sheer volume involved in a confrontation between those three. "Two against one? Doesn't seem quite fair.'

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Since when does my mom play fair? Hermione and Angelina were on her side. The good daughters versus the rebellious ones. No, the real delight is going to be when you girls are old enough to participate."

Molly didn't dignify the response with an answer. "What are they even fighting about, anyways?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hell if I know. All I know is that I came into the room and immediately got told off for tracking mud into the kitchen, as if I was five."

Molly laughed at the face her aunt had made. Sometimes, during these conversations, it was hard to believe that Aunt Ginny had three kids and a husband. "How come you're cool, but your sons are mess?" Molly asked carelessly, not afraid of offending her aunt.

Aunt Ginny let out another laugh, swinging her legs under the counter. "James and Al are just like their father, aren't they? Harry was the same way, as was his father. I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that Potter men are most tolerable after they reach their majority."

"Agreed." Molly said darkly, thinking of how long it had taken to get the smell of dungbombs out of her room after James had played a prank on her during the winter holidays.

Ginny turned around suddenly, rotating until the two were side by side. "It's hard sometimes with a family this big, isn't it? Too many conflicting personalities… but I wouldn't change it for anything. We fought for this, for the chance to be happy together and that's what I remember when I feel like whipping out my bat-bogey hex on you all."

With a devilish grin, Aunt Ginny planted a kiss on Molly's head and began to walk towards the door. Looking over her shoulder, Ginny called, "Think about that and join us when you're ready. I'll be waiting."

Alone again with nothing but burned food for company, Molly thought about the small talk at parties, the way the family teased each other. This wasn't natural. They had worked on this, had put in the hours to learn each other's boundaries.

Taking a deep breath, Molly steadied herself and walked out of the kitchen, intending on re-joining her family.


End file.
